Rear strut tower brace

[bovaco]

Looking to purchase a rear strut tower brace for an NA.

[oldgrayfrog]

Go Miata sells a quality one from Beatrush. Do you have every other brace known to man on the car already? Because that rear one is pretty low on the priorities list, at least for me.

[bovaco]

Go Miata sells a quality one from Beatrush. Do you have every other brace known to man on the car already? Because that rear one is pretty low on the priorities list, at least for me.

Actually I don't, Can you give me an idea as to where to begin? I don't have a track car, but I do play around up here on the mountain roads so I'm looking to improve the handling. :dunno:

[Adrian]

Get FM's shock tower brace, that thing is a beast. Or a set of frame rails.

[NA6R]

What year is your car?
Posted via Mobile Device

[bovaco]

1990 1.6

[oldgrayfrog]

Looking at his sig, I'd say an NA. First go over to 949 and get their three brace kit. Its actually all the old Brainstorm braces that Emilio bought up. These will tie the lower control arms together front and rear. You might not need all of them Mazda put a brace tying the front control arms together after 93. These are really inexpensive like around $100 if you buy all three. Buy a rollbar. The old Brainstorm bars are great and can still be bought new from Integrated Performance, but they have gone up now to around $300. The only thing I don't like about that bar is it doesn't tie the seat belt tower together, it is however the easiest to install. Other great bars are availible from Bethania Garage (Hardcore and et al) starting at $300 and going over $500, Boss Frog makes beautiful bars, down in Florida starting at $400 and topping $1000. On the bar thing, you need to ask yourself "will I race the car" because that will require a much higher bar, and will I ever use a hardtop, because that will mean some of the competition bars won't fit under a hardtop. The rollbar regardless of manufacturer will tie the car together more than any other brace. Next would be frame rail supports, these start out at around $125, Flyin'Miata, BoundaryEngineering and Boss Frog all make them around this price point. FM sells a butterfly brace, a piece of oragami metal that fits between the frame rail supports and boxes it in. There has been great debate over whether this adds any value over the rails alone, but if you want the butterfly brace it only works with FM's rails. The rails support our tires cracked and abused factory rails, that may have started out stiff, but 20 years on have the tensile strength of al dente linguine. Next a Cannon brace or the similar one from Racing Beat ties together 4 points in the rear suspension to help keep those wheels planted in corners, the difference besides price 140 versus 89, is the more expensive FM Cannnon brace is made out of forged aluminum and powdercoated , where the RB one is stamped steel, electrocoated. We live in Georgia rust isn't that big a deal to me, but if you live, or may live in the rustbelt later... Now lastly we come to the strut tower braces, the reason they are so far down the line is our cars have a double A arm suspension, which shares the load between the two A arms at each corner. A honda Civic in contrast has only 1 A arm and the Strut tower accts as a pivot to all steering inputs. Hence on a Honda deflection on the tower creates wobbly suspension and steering inputs. In the Miata this is much less so, but if you are to buy one , please buy the Cobalt triangular brace that incorporates the fire wall to also strengthen the towers movement fore and aft. If you get the one Boundary Engineering sells (also a triangular brace) it also includes a Brake Stopper, which reinforces your Brake Master Cylinder, which actually flexes quite a bit in hard braking. Lastly the rear strut tower brace. If you put in a roll bar, 90% of its job is already done, so it's really overkill. BTW if you cant buy a rollbar right away, you know those stylebars that everyone laughs at? They do a really nice job as a cabin brace, further reducing cabin flex, there are also harness bars (around $150-175) that will do the same thing but with muy macho. Lastly there are the doorbars now made by Boss Frog and Bethania that say they reinforce the chassis,you know like when you close your car's door, and Frog Arms that are from you guessed it Boss Frog, and they support the front end, and make steering inputs more sharp, and also communicate every pebble on the road. There ya go I hope that helps, I'm sure as I was writing this somewhere somebody has created a new brace :)

[bovaco]

Looking at his sig, I'd say an NA. First go over to 949 and get their three brace kit. Its actually all the old Brainstorm braces that Emilio bought up. These will tie the lower control arms together front and rear. You might not need all of them Mazda put a brace tying the front control arms together after 93. These are really inexpensive like around $100 if you buy all three. Buy a rollbar. The old Brainstorm bars are great and can still be bought new from Integrated Performance, but they have gone up now to around $300. The only thing I don't like about that bar is it doesn't tie the seat belt tower together, it is however the easiest to install. Other great bars are availible from Bethania Garage (Hardcore and et al) starting at $300 and going over $500, Boss Frog makes beautiful bars, down in Florida starting at $400 and topping $1000. On the bar thing, you need to ask yourself "will I race the car" because that will require a much higher bar, and will I ever use a hardtop, because that will mean some of the competition bars won't fit under a hardtop. The rollbar regardless of manufacturer will tie the car together more than any other brace. Next would be frame rail supports, these start out at around $125, Flyin'Miata, BoundaryEngineering and Boss Frog all make them around this price point. FM sells a butterfly brace, a piece of oragami metal that fits between the frame rail supports and boxes it in. There has been great debate over whether this adds any value over the rails alone, but if you want the butterfly brace it only works with FM's rails. The rails support our tires cracked and abused factory rails, that may have started out stiff, but 20 years on have the tensile strength of al dente linguine. Next a Cannon brace or the similar one from Racing Beat ties together 4 points in the rear suspension to help keep those wheels planted in corners, the difference besides price 140 versus 89, is the more expensive FM Cannnon brace is made out of forged aluminum and powdercoated , where the RB one is stamped steel, electrocoated. We live in Georgia rust isn't that big a deal to me, but if you live, or may live in the rustbelt later... Now lastly we come to the strut tower braces, the reason they are so far down the line is our cars have a double A arm suspension, which shares the load between the two A arms at each corner. A honda Civic in contrast has only 1 A arm and the Strut tower accts as a pivot to all steering inputs. Hence on a Honda deflection on the tower creates wobbly suspension and steering inputs. In the Miata this is much less so, but if you are to buy one , please buy the Cobalt triangular brace that incorporates the fire wall to also strengthen the towers movement fore and aft. If you get the one Boundary Engineering sells (also a triangular brace) it also includes a Brake Stopper, which reinforces your Brake Master Cylinder, which actually flexes quite a bit in hard braking. Lastly the rear strut tower brace. If you put in a roll bar, 90% of its job is already done, so it's really overkill. BTW if you cant buy a rollbar right away, you know those stylebars that everyone laughs at? They do a really nice job as a cabin brace, further reducing cabin flex, there are also harness bars (around $150-175) that will do the same thing but with muy macho. Lastly there are the doorbars now made by Boss Frog and Bethania that say they reinforce the chassis,you know like when you close your car's door, and Frog Arms that are from you guessed it Boss Frog, and they support the front end, and make steering inputs more sharp, and also communicate every pebble on the road. There ya go I hope that helps, I'm sure as I was writing this somewhere somebody has created a new brace :)

I'm not only impressed but very greatfull for the information. Thank you very much.

[miata5620]

Frog I could have over looked it but I was just on 949's website and didn't see the brace kit on there anymore. They might have discontinued them , or like i said i could have just over looked them.

[oldgrayfrog]

I guess Emilio sold out. You can find them for sale individually at Goodwin for $38 each :) Don't be impressed, I can barely remember my own name sometimes.

[NA6R]

IMHO, the seat back brace should be first. Then front and rear lowers